Return of the Jellicle
by Whitakker
Summary: Set after the events of "The Jellicle Chronicles" by Dennis Callin et al. Reading that story is recommended highly before reading this one. The Tribe awakens on the Homeworld, but what now? How much of themselves do they remember? What was gained, and what was lost? And how strong are the bonds of the heart that kept them all together...strong enough to endure space and time?
1. Foreword

I write this foreword for several reasons. First and chiefly, I must give thanks to Dennis Callin and his crew of writers, editors, and artists for gifting the CATS fandom with their epic tale, The Jellicle Chronicles. They put together a truly exhilarating piece of fiction, and took the world of CATS to places I never thought it could go. As far as I'm concerned, it's their sandbox; I'm just playing in a corner of it. If, by chance, you are reading this foreword and have not yet read the story to which I'm referring, do yourself a favor: close this tab/window, go Google "The Jellicle Chronicles", and proceed to partake in one of the finest pieces of fanfiction I have ever read. After having done so, I dearly hope you'll come back and read this little story of mine.

Secondly, after finishing TJC, and being blown away by its ending, I was left with a bittersweet feeling. That is not to say that I in any way did not enjoy how TJC ended. I understand that it had to end that way. The direction the story was going could only have put it on one final destination, and it is one that I was so glad to experience. Not all stories can be true "happy endings", no matter how much we wish them to be. No matter my strong and complex feelings about the ending of TJC, I would not have wanted it to end any other way; for it to do such would have been to undersell itself in terms of story progression and impactfulness, I believe.

Thirdly, I am completely cognizant of the fact that TJC does in fact have a quasi-sequel of sorts, which I have read myself. My decision to write this alternate take on the end of TJC does not mean I disagree with or in any way hate Anna-Karin Larsson's "The Jellicle Tribe". It's just as wonderful a story as TJC, albeit with a different feel and atmosphere to it. When it comes down to it, this story is simply some innocent wish fulfillment on my part. If, at any point, Mr. Callin et al. wish me to remove this story, I shall do so immediately with no ill feelings whatsoever.

With that out of the way, we can begin. It might seem obvious, but this story will only make sense if you've read "The Jellicle Chronicles", penned by Dennis Callin, aka "Rumblepurr", and his crew of authors, editors, and artists. Arm yourself with that knowledge, and enjoy. I will attempt my best to reconcile the personalities of the Tribe as depicted in TJC with what I believe and understand to be the intent of the authors when they introduced the idea of the "Jellicle Self". That being said, some of my own biases and liberties may, can, and probably will be taken here and there. So keep that pinch of salt handy…


	2. Leader's Awakening

DISCLAIMER: CATS is owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Really Useful Group. All characters belong to them. Any further characters belong to Dennis Callin and the authors and editors of The Jellicle Chronicles.

* * *

Emerald eyes opened and were greeted with the sight of an unfamiliar sky. The usual azure blue the Silver Tabby knew before was now a shade darker, with hints of violet tinging the vast expanse above him. Munkustrap realized he was lying on his back on something that felt like masonry, and slowly rose to a seated position. He instantly registered that his body was far larger than he had remembered it being before; he wagered he was at least six feet tall now, and that new information took a few moments to adjust to. Images and memories raced by in his head—some of a junkyard on another small blue planet far away, and others of humans on a stage, singing and dancing before a crowd of other humans. A name came to the forefront— _Franklin Thomas_ —but seemed to just as quickly fade. Feeling horribly confused, Munkustrap tried to sort his thoughts.

 _Last thing I remembered…holding Deme and Bomba…_

 _A storm fiercer than any before…_

 _Lightning striking before us…_

 _Then, feeling as if I had found something I had not known I had lost before…_

 _The sensation of traveling…such a long way…_

Pieces of the puzzle started slowly connecting in the Silver Tabby's mind, until a few concrete thoughts formed to establish a foundation in his mind.

 _My name is Munkustrap. I am the Jellicle Leader. I came to this place with my Tribe from someplace far away. We have Returned…home?"_ Munkustrap ran his hands—and they were indeed hands, not paws, but with fur covering up to the second knuckle—over his face, and one hand rested on a short necklace around his neck, where he seemed to remember there being a collar before. Attached to the chain was a silver heart, and as his fingertips smoothed over the metal pendant, his eyes widened in a lightning bolt of clarity.

"DEME!" Munk exclaimed as he shot to his feet, planting himself upon what he now realized to be indeed masonry. He was atop a large stone building, and could see for miles in all directions, but Munkustrap couldn't be bothered with the "where" of the situation; at the moment, all he cared about was the "who".

"BOMBA!" Munk shouted again to the open courtyard he was in, yet he could see no one up where he was. Panic started to creep into his mind, and he kept shouting.

"Quaxo! Tugger! Cassie! Misto! Skimble! Jelly! Jenny…anyone?" Munk trailed off as he understood that, as far as he could tell, he was alone on top of the…castle? It certainly seemed to look like one from up here, if the images from books back on that place—what was its name again?—served his memory true. Pushing aside the fear that now whispered in his mind, Munkustrap began to scan the area for some way down from the roof he was on. He spied an alcove roughly paces away in a corner of the ramparts that seemed to hold a staircase leading down into the castle proper. With a course of action in his mind, the Jellicle Leader hastily made his way into this foreign place. Munkustrap had only one thought driving him onwards into the unknown: find Demeter and Bombalurina, no matter what confronted him. It was a deep and subconscious knowledge that somehow, some way, he would not be separated from his Queens, not when their love had perpetuated through eons of existence to unerringly bring them together time and time again. He would not even entertain the thought that he would not find them both, and woe befall any obstacle that put itself in the Silver Tabby's path…


	3. Queen's Awakening

Disclaimer: CATS is owned by Andrew Lloyd Weber and the Really Useful Group, Ltd. All other characters and settings are property of Dennis Callin et. al.

* * *

Amber eyes shot wide open as the Gold Queen came out of her dreamlike state, and Demeter sat up in a flash of movement.

"MUNK!" was the first word out of her mouth. The surface she had lad upon gave significantly, to her surprise, and she looked around her in a mix of panic and paranoia, much like was her wont so many years ago. Clearly old, yet soft linens lay about her on a large bed that was nearly twice again as long as she was. _Ostentatious_ was the word that came to her mind. For that matter, she definitely didn't recall her body being so…different, yet still much the same. Measuring several inches over five feet now, some part of Demeter's mind acknowledged that this new body was always meant to be hers. The name Beth Simpson echoed in her memory, but an echo was all it was now. Demeter could have begun asking a hundred questions at the moment, but only chose one: Where was Munkustrap? No matter where or even _when_ she was, an ironclad truth resounded within her soul—she needed to find her Mate…and someone else, too.

A rustle on the bed an arm's length away caught Demeter's attention, and she noticed the large form underneath a mass of old blankets. Carefully reaching over, the Gold Queen pulled away a part of the bedding, hoping to see silver and black fur underneath. Instead, scarlet fur revealed itself, and the figure shifted again to present a most welcome face.

"Bomba!" Demeter whispered in surprise, and placed a hand (hand?) on the Scarlet Queen's shoulder, shaking her gently at first, then more insistently as Bombalurina refused to rouse from sleep. On a thought, Demeter let her claws extend from the ends of her fingers (fingers?) to prick the sleeping Queen, and got the desired reaction. Bombalurina started awake with a gasp.

"Rumpus, what in the Basem—…" Bomba froze as her eyes locked on the amber orbs of Demeter, and the Gold Queen was almost afraid that Bomba would not recognize her. Indeed, Bomba's eyes scanned Demeter's face and figure for several moments, as if she was seeing her for the first time _. Perhaps we are…_ , Deme thought idly, then drew a breath as she saw a light of recognition flare in the Scarlet's eyes.

"Girlfriend?" Bomba asked hesitantly. Deme smiled softly, and she felt a great cloud of worry burn away in her mind. This was a start.

"Lady friend, Bomba." Deme's response was given with a smirk, and Bomba's reaction was reflexive. "Stick a sock in it, Deme." Bombalurina returned the grin, and the two Queens practically tackled each other in a fierce embrace. Time and space, it seemed, were no match for the intense bond the two Queens shared since time immemorial, and it had bested the odds once again to join them together once more.

During the reunion, Demeter's touch of her Mate-Sister brought forth a flood of memories, both new and old, and of both Queen's lives. Visions of two women—Beth Simpson and Marielle Jacq, the names came unbidden to Demeter's mind—and of singing and dancing before crowds of humans. The sensory overload caused Demeter to seize up in Bombalurina's arms, causing the Scarlet quite some alarm. She seemed to remember having to calm the Gold Queen from these episodes in a time that now felt so long ago, and yet so familiar as well. Pulling away to hold her eye to eye, Bomba saw that Demeter's eyes had taken on a far-off, millennial quality, as if gazing across a galaxy.

"Deme, what is it?"

"I…I was remembering…things I had lost, that I didn't know were missing. What happened, Bomba? What do you remember?"

Bombalurina went quiet and thought for a moment. "We were in a junkyard, the two of us and Munk…oh Rumpus, Munk! Deme, that storm hit the yard, and then…I just remember feeling like I had ran for a hundred years…" Bomba went silent again, confusion fogging her mind. What had been real, and what felt like a dream except it felt so familiar…as if that Marielle woman was someone she had known all her life? And that wasn't even beginning to address the current situation the two Queens found themselves in; they had no idea where they were, and more importantly to the both of them, no idea what had become of their beloved Silver Tom. As far as they both could tell, the luxurious bed they had woken up in was in a spacious antechamber, and the walls and floors appeared to be mad of a kind of sandstone masonry. The high walls were adorned with several faded tapestries, and a few sections of wall sported carvings in the stonework, also appearing faded by time.

"This is…the Homeworld?" Demeter asked uncertainly. The mists of memory that her old dreams left her told her that some of this setting was familiar, yet so much was alien to her still. All Bombalurina could do was shrug her shoulders. "I certainly hope so. The alternative doesn't even bear thinking about. All I care about right now is finding that handsome Tom of ours." Demeter nodded at that idea, but then stopped when the horrid idea raised its head.

"Bomba, what if Munk isn't here? I mean, Heavyside only knows where we even are, and if we somehow—"

Bombalurina stopped Demeter's paranoia from overtaking her, and grabbed her firmly by the shoulders. " _Don't_ , Deme. Don't even consider it. I know one thing for sure, even if right now I feel like my mind has been on loan to someone else. That wonderful Tom will not stop at anything to get back to us, even if he has to face off with the Dark Cat himself. I know he won't give up on us, so that means we can't _ever_ give up on him. You got that, sister?"

Demeter swallowed hard and nodded again, the steel in her Mate-Sister's voice renewing her own conviction. All of the other thousand questions and doubts about where they were, and even _who_ they now were could wait until they had found Munkustrap.

"Now, as wonderful as lying in this bed feels, let's get to looking for our Mate. You with me, girlfriend?" Bomba fixed Deme with her classic Mona Lisa smile. Demeter brightened up a bit. "As I have always been…and seemingly always will be… _Lady_ friend."

The two Queens left the comfort of the sprawling bed and made for the exit of the chamber. A long hallway stretched in both directions before them. What looked to be an early afternoon sun brought light into the cast-iron window fixtures along the hallway, giving ample illumination. Deciding that, without a reference, one direction was as good as the other, the pair turned left, and began searching the unknown for their Silver Tabby.

* * *

A/N: So, my idea was to have all the other principles awaken in various parts of the Homeworld, then work their way back to each other. However, I'm currently hitting a roadblock as to how to accomplish that goal. I'm open to brainstorms and/or suggestions. We'll see how far I can carry this little labor of love of mine.


End file.
